1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to machines for producing hot steamed towels and more particularly pertains to a new moistened towelette heating device for providing a moist hot towel for washing a user's body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of machines for producing hot steamed towels is known in the prior art. More specifically, machines for producing hot steamed towels heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,389--a heater for towels by Knapp; U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,876--a fail safe microwave oven by Kitagawa; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 302,584--a towelette warmer by DeMars; U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,266--a towelette warmer by Warren; U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,205--a combined night light and pre-moistened towellette warmer by Shaffer; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,048--a heating attachment for towelettes by Levy which are all incorporated by reference herein.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new moistened towelette heating device. The inventive device includes a housing with a depression in the top of the housing forming a chute. The chute has an opening into a passage in the housing which, in turn, is connected to microwave oven disposed in the housing. The housing has a main opening into the microwave oven and an access door substantially closing the main opening. A plurality of canisters each with a moistened towelette disposed therein are positioned in the chute to permit passage of each canister through the passage and into the microwave oven where the canister may be heated to heat the towelette therein.
In these respects, the moistened towelette heating device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a moist hot towel for washing a user's body.